Your friendly guide

Cal Pep, on Placa Olles in Barcelona, is a popular tapas bar. So popular you find yourself jostling for space with posses of tourists, all unaware of the family secret: just round the corner, Cal Pep's cousin runs an unimposing restaurant where the food is just as good, the ingredients as fresh and there are plenty of free tables. It's the sort of joint a local might tell you about, not the sort of place you'll find in Lonely Planet, Rough Guide or Footprint. Which is why it's featured in Le Cool, a guide for people who hate guide books.

"It's about knowing the right bell to ring, the right drink to order, the right person to talk to," says the blurb. Published by an online magazine of the same name, Le Cool features interviews with DJs, gallery owners and fashion designers who give the inside scoop on the hidden bars, sex motels, veggie restaurants and the best place for breakfast at the end of a hard night's partying. If you want to know how much it costs to get into the Sagrada Familia, this is not the guide for you. If you want to find the hostel that has no sign and no booking line (the owner approaches potential guests he likes the look of), Le Cool will help you discover the city way beyond the Ramblas.

· Le Cool will be published by The Friday Project on August 17, £9.99. lecool.com.

· Look out for our full report on Le Cool next week.

Roman holiday

The Ferragamo design house has opened its first hotel in Rome, above its flagship menswear store. Portrait Suites is housed in a former palazzo on Via Condotti and has a rooftop lounge with views of the Spanish Steps. The sales kicked off last week so it's the perfect time to snap up a designer bargain.

Who are the happiest people in Europe? No, not the Italians. The surprise answer, according to The Friends of the Earth's Happy Planet Index released this week, is the Maltese. If you want to find out why they are so content with their lot, then book a trip. James Villas has knocked 20% off Hibiscus, a three-bedroom villa with pool, 10-minutes' drive from the the resort town of Mellieha in the north west. The price is £989 for a week, departing August 22.